Darkness Descends
by SeleneStarr
Summary: What would happen if Usagi started questioning destiny, and the Starlights were sent to live on Earth? The Senshi would not be pleased, and the Outers would show their displeasure...
1. Contemplations and Letters

I do not own Sailor Moon. If I did, would I be writing a fanfic? No. However, this plot and any original characters I introduce are MINE!! Comments and suggestions are very welcome, but no flames. Remember to review! SeleneStarr

_**Darkness Descends**_

**_Chapter 1: Contemplations and Letters_**

I dislike destiny.

No, scratch that.

I HATE destiny.

My name is Tsukino Usagi. I am nineteen years old, and a year ago, I graduated from Juuban High School. Soon, I, along with the rest of the people of Earth, will fall into a deep, death-like sleep. The cause of the sleep will be some sort of ecological disaster that will befall Earth. Then, a woman from Earth will be awakened after a thousand years by the Silver Imperium Crystal. She will use the crystal to awaken the people of Earth, and in turn, she will become the Queen of Earth with her loyal King, and court. They will, have course, have a child. A little girl, to be exact. The universe will know this woman by Neo-Queen Serenity, her King as Neo-King Endymion, and her kingdom as the Silver Alliance.

Someone who does not know me well might ask, "How does Tsukino Usagi, a normal, klutzy, crybaby teenage girl know for certain that these events will come to pass?"

I know because I am that woman. I am not only Tsukino Usagi, but also Eternal Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess from a thousand years ago, and the future Neo-Queen Serenity. The Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto, has told my Sailor Senshi, my boyfriend Mamoru (the future Neo-King Endymion), and me about these future events. I saw my future kingdom as well, because I had to go to the future to save my kingdom, my future self, and my future daughter. Furthermore, my future daughter, Chibi-usa, has visited what she considers the past and what I consider the present, several times to train as a Sailor Senshi. Her father is Mamoru, and Mamoru and I were in love a thousand years ago during the Silver Millennium. He was the Earth Prince Endymion.

This is why I hate destiny. I was shown my future, something Pluto was never supposed to do anyway. During the Silver Millennium, she would have been executed. However, I do not have as much control over my Senshi as I did in the past, and they would be furious at the fact that I would want the Guardian of Time executed. They would have one good point, though. Who would guard the Gates of Time in her absence?

I digress. I was told I would have a wonderful future, a beautiful daughter, and a loving husband. Once, I did not care. At that time, when I was younger and naïve, I was happy for the future laid out for me. However, when I was sixteen and Galaxia came, things changed. When she came, Mamoru was, to my knowledge, in America alive and well. However, when Galaxia began killing my Senshi off one by one and the Starlights helped me realize that Mamoru was gone (he had his star seed taken in front of me and I blocked out the memory), I was more alone than I had ever been in my life. I was tied to this destiny, and so were my best friends. They all had dreams, dreams that would never be realized because they must protect me. The lack of response from Mamoru hurt deeply, and I turned to Seiya for comfort.

The comfort Seiya offered me meant a great deal to me, and we fell in love. Nevertheless, like my Senshi, I had a cookie-cutter destiny planned for me, so I could not follow my heart and do what I really wanted to do. Although we fell in love, I couldn't do anything about it. I could not risk the disappointment of my friends. They, as Senshi, had given up their dreams to protect me and my future kingdom. I could not let their sacrifice go to waste. Even though I knew how he felt about me, I buried my feelings and put on the show everyone had come to expect from me: ditzy and clueless. I was afraid to disappoint the Senshi, Luna, and Artemis. Furthermore, I did not want to loose my daughter. I love Chibi-usa. It killed me inside to hurt Seiya, and to lie to him. The day he, not Sailor Star Fighter saved me, and he asked me if he was good enough for me, I wanted to scream into the rain that yes, he was good enough. I wanted to let the whole world how much I loved him, not Mamoru. However, I held my tongue.

When Galaxia showed me Mamoru's star seed, I began to question the future through my pain of losing him and Chibi-usa. Even though I have restored everyone's star seed and sealed Chaos, I still question the future. What if I had not saved everyone?

The only conclusion I could come to was that Pluto was wrong—the future was not set. One event, one action, could change the future. I believe this even more now because Mamoru and I are drifting apart. Furthermore, I believe that Chibi-usa will be born no matter who I am married to. She is my daughter. I do not have to be married to the Earth Prince to have my beloved daughter.

Once I came to these conclusions, I began to mature. One day, I announced to my friends that I would be applying to Tokyo University. They laughed, except for Ami, because they didn't think I was smart enough to get in. I suppose, with the exception of Ami, that they failed to notice how well I was doing in school. Rei didn't go to Juuban High School, and Minako and Makoto were so used to seeing Ami at the top of the test scores that they stopped looking at the posted test scores. However, Ami and I were often tied in out scores, but I never made a big deal out of it, so neither did she. My friends, even Ami, failed to see the point of me going to university. After all, I was going to be queen.

Queen or no queen, I was still determined to do something with my life. Queens are not uneducated and lazy, and I would not be the exception. So I took the Tokyo University entrance exams three weeks ago, and no one knows that I did. Now all I can do is wait.

My last year in high school, I took on a part-time job to start saving for a place of my own after I graduated and my tuition. I work at a clothing boutique in downtown Tokyo, conveniently located five blocks from my apartment and Tokyo University. For the past three weeks, I have been running home after work to check the mail. Today is no different. It is a very cold February day, but I barely notice the stinging wind as I run home.

I stop in front of the mail building in front of my apartment complex. I slowly walk inside and open my mailbox, finding two envelopes inside. Seeing Tokyo University on one of the envelopes, I disregard the other one and tear open the Tokyo University envelope. I begin to read, my heart beating fast.

_Tsukino Usagi-san:_

_Thank you for your interest in our university. As you know, we are a very selective and highly competitive school. We can only accept the most promising students into this university, especially into our art program. Therefore, we are very pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Tokyo University's prestigious art school._

_Enclosed you will find your admissions packet, as well as the information regarding your art scholarship. The art scholarship will cover your tuition, room and board, and any art supplies you might need. Please complete these forms and return them no later than March 5, 1999. Term begins April 1, 1999._

_Once again, thank you for your interest in out school, and congratulations! We look forward to you attending Tokyo University. Please call us if you have any questions._

_Sincerely,_

_Yamata Miyako_

Tears filled my eyes as I read the letter twice. I had gotten in! Not only had I gotten in, but they were giving me a scholarship!

I had to tell someone.

I ran into my apartment building, not even bothering to wait for the elevator. I dashed up three flights of stairs to my apartment, let myself in, and sat down on my comfortable burgundy couch. I reached for the phone on the end table, but stopped with my hand suspended over the phone. Who would I call? The girls would tease me; Mama, Daddy, and Shingo were on vacation; Mamoru would act distant; Setsuna probably already knew; and Hotaru, Haruka, and Michiru had been acting strangely lately.

I looked at the acceptance letter still clutched in my hand, and noticed the other letter I had received today. I placed my acceptance letter on the coffee table and looked at the other envelope. It was dark red, and bore no return address. My curiosity getting the better of me, I slid my finger under the seal and pulled out a letter written on thick parchment paper. I unfolded the letter and gasped. The letter bore the official letterhead of Princess Kakyuu, the princess of Kinmoku-sei. I began to read.

_Serenity-hime,_

_I hope my letter finds you well. I apologize for not keeping in better touch with you. However, rebuilding a planet is not easy, as I am sure you understand. _

_I am writing to ask a favor. The Starlights, upon returning home, have become melancholy and moody. They put the whole hearts into rebuilding our planet, but now that we are done, they seem to be thinking more and more of another place, and less of their home planet. Sailor Star Fighter, or Kou Seiya, seems to be the worst of the three._

_It is my belief that they miss their life on Earth, especially their friends. In hopes that you will not refuse the Starlights, I have already sent them to Earth. I ask that you welcome the Starlight to your planet, to your kingdom. I wish them to stay there and make a new life. I have already trained new Starlights, so I have protection. Please do not worry about me. If you do not desire the Starlights as a part of your kingdom, please allow them a short visit, and send them home. However, I do not think this will be the case._

_Protect them as if they were your own, because they are now your Senshi. If anything should happen to them, I will not hold you or your kingdom responsible. Please take care of them._

_Thank you,_

_Kakyuu-hime_

The Starlights were coming here? To Earth?

I had not seen the Starlights since they had left Earth three years ago. I have that day, and Seiya's expression of sadness and love, engraved in my mind and my heart. I had never expected to see any of them again, and now Kakyuu was sending them here to live their life, and to be my Senshi. And she was right. I would never turn them away. I love Taiki and Yaten as dear friends, and I think Kakyuu is the only one who knows how I feel about Seiya.

She is the only one who knows how much I love Seiya, and she doesn't give a damn about destiny. Only happiness.

**Author's Notes:**

If any of you are wondering about test scores posted at school, that's how students receive their grades in Japanese junior high and high schools (probably elementary school and college, too—I'm not sure); they post the grades for all to see. I do not know how universities in Japan let students know that they have been accepted, nor do I know whether they offer scholarships. I can only presume that they write students letters and that they do, in certain cases, offer scholarships. As I have developed Usagi into a bright, talented, intelligent student, I am sure she would be one of those cases. Tokyo U. knew she wanted to be in their art program because she sent them a portfolio when she applied to the university to take the entrance exam. I don't know if they really do that either, but hell, this is fiction. I couldn't find a good place to explain that, so I put it here. I chose art for Usagi because I think that if she put her mind to it, she could paint and draw wonderful things. After all, she used to live on the moon. This is a Seiya/Usagi fic. Do not review or email me later complaining about pairings. I have combined manga and anime plot points in this chapter, and will probably continue to do so in the future. In the manga, for example, Usagi saw Galaxia take Mamoru's Star Seed in the airport before he left. She blocked it out and recreated the scene in her mind as if she saw him get on the plane.

Sorry about the amount of author's notes. I will try to have less in the future. Once again, comments and suggestions are welcome, but no flames! Thank you for reading, and please remember to review! SeleneStarr


	2. Revelations and Plots

Happy Holidays!! I am SOOO sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up, but I had to go to two different states for the holidays, and while I was in Florida with my boyfriend, visiting his parents, our house got broken into (at least I had my laptop with me, or you guys would not be getting anything, and I would be more pissed than I am already). We had to drive back home the very next day after we got there (a 7 HOUR TRIP), and…well, I won't bore you with details. I'll just say it sucked, but at least the friend we had watching the house scared them off (that's what the cop said), or they would have gotten more than they did.

At any rate, I am back with another chapter. I hope everyone likes it. Standard disclaimer applies: I do not own Sailor Moon. If I did, would I be writing a fanfic? No. However, this plot and any original characters I introduce are MINE!! Rated PG-13 for language and content, but the rating may go up in the future. Comments and suggestions are very welcome, but no flames. Remember to review! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and for your patience!! -SeleneStarr

_Last time..._

_The Starlights were coming here? To Earth?_

_I had not seen the Starlights since they had left Earth three years ago. I have that day, and Seiya's expression of sadness and love, engraved in my mind and my heart. I had never expected to see any of them again, and now Kakyuu was sending them here to live their life, and to be my Senshi. And she was right. I would never turn them away. I love Taiki and Yaten as dear friends, and I think Kakyuu is the only one who knows how I feel about Seiya._

_She is the only one who knows how much I love Seiya, and she doesn't give a damn about destiny. Only happiness._

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**Revelations and Plots**_

I folded Kakyuu's letter and put it back into the envelope, and I did the same with my letter from Tokyo University. Then I stood up and walked around my apartment, making everything was neat and tidy for the Starlight's arrival. I knew Taiki, Yaten, and Seiya would be here at any moment, and I wanted everything to be perfect. To be honest, I didn't have to clean up much. As my grades had improved, so had my housekeeping skills. However, I smoothed down the silver satin drapes that hung over the French doors leading to my balcony, fluffed the pillows on my couch and loveseat, and wiped off the kitchen counters. After cleaning up the front of my apartment, I walked into the guest bedroom. It contained a bunk bed, a computer desk with my old computer sitting on it, and a small armchair. The windows were covered with satin burgundy curtains, and the beds were covered with the same kind of blankets. Since there were only two extra beds, one of the Starlights would have to blow up the air mattress I kept in the hall closet and either sleep in the extra bedroom or my room.

As I meandered around my apartment, I thought about everything that had happened since the Starlights had left. Not only had I matured and gotten into Tokyo University, but I also discovered more about myself. Sure, I realized that I didn't give a damn anymore about the destiny set forth for me, but I also learned more about the Silver Millennium. I discovered who my father was during that time, information that had been kept from me my entire life. When I asked Luna, Artemis, or Sailor Pluto about my father from the Moon Kingdom, they could not give me an answer. No one knew; it was if I had appeared out of thin air. The only piece of information anyone was able to give me was that my mother, who never married, had wished so desperately for a daughter that the Silver Crystal had granted her wish. Sailor Pluto told me that.

Nevertheless, I still wanted to know if that was true. My mother was very beautiful, kind, and wise. How could she be alone? How could no one love her and appreciate her for who she was as a person? After all, the Moon Kingdom ruled the solar system and had good relations with the kingdoms in the Sol System, as well as the rest of the universe. Surely, my father was out there somewhere.

Well, I was right. Pluto was wrong. I am no true bastard child.

Unbeknownst to my Senshi, I visited the destroyed Moon Kingdom, looking for answers. Among the ruins of my kingdom, I found my mother's diary, which had been preserved to near perfection due to the lack of atmosphere on the Moon. Within my mother's diary, I found the answers I had been seeking. I read Mother's diary without guilt, for I knew that she would not mind. She would want me to know more about her, because then I would know more about my past. I learned that my mother had met a man a year before she had me. Mother wrote about his kindness, his love, his power, and his wisdom. She also wrote about their love for one another, but how they could not stay together. Although she was a queen, she was still mortal. He was, no, is a god, and one of the laws of our universe is that mortals and gods cannot be together. They could not get married, raise a family, or be together forever. My mother wrote that the law was especially true in her case, because her subjects, her court, and her fellow rulers might think the god would show her favor above all others. Mother was worried, as was my father, that this may cause war and strife. She was never one for war; our names are "Serenity" for a reason. We bring peace, not war.

Even though Selene's blood ran through our veins, Mother and I are still mortal. Selene bestowed her blood to us as a gift, so that we may live long lives and better control the magnifying power of the silver crystal. Therefore, Mother and Father parted, making a pact to tell no one about their relationship. Not even their family. My father then left, to train the new Gates of Time guardian, leaving Mother a gift. He did not want her to forget him, and she wished to have always a piece of him with her.

As a result, I was born. I am the child of Queen Serenity and Chronos, the God of Time. Therefore, I can do many of the things Pluto can do: travel through time and dimension, stop time, and peer into the future and past. Although I am the Chronos's child, it took months of training and concealing spells to learn my newfound powers. I chose to hide all of this from my friends

Why I did that, I'm not sure. Perhaps it was because I was afraid of their reaction. Judging by their recent behavior, they'd brush it off, like they had been doing with anything that concerned me. They might have laughed, and told me I was imagining things, or that I had not really found Mother's diary.

Whatever my reason, I hid my training from them. Now I only train to keep my skills sharp. There have been no Dark forces trying to invade Earth for years now. I do not wish to be the weak Neo-Queen Serenity that I saw in the future, the one who lost her ability to transform into Sailor Moon or fight without the aid of the crystal. In this timeline, there will be no need for my daughter to come to the past.

The doorbell rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. I took a quick glance in the hallway mirror, checking my appearance. I ran my fingers through my long golden blonde hair (which I wore down more often these days, having cut several inches of it), smoothed the front of my dark blue, boot cut jeans, and straightened my black sweater. Satisfied with my appearance, I quickly went to answer the door, hoping that it would be the Starlights. However, when I opened the door, I was disappointed to find Setsuna standing there, looking as sophisticated as ever. Her long green hair was pulled back into its usual style (half up in a bun, half down), and she was wearing a pair of black slacks, a long sleeved, satin garnet blouse that brought out the color of her eyes, and black high heels.

Setsuna has no idea that we are half-sisters, she being the elder. Yes, my parents even kept the information about their relationship from Setsuna. They feared it might interfere with her duties as the Guardian of Time and a Senshi. As the Guardian of Time, Setsuna knew about the downfall of the Silver Millennium. Therefore, she would have known that I was to die, and leaving your Princess is one thing, but my parents knew she would never be able to leave her baby sister. And it was imperative that Sailor Pluto never leave her post. If she had, the Gates would have been left unguarded, leaving them vulnerable to attacks by the Dark Kingdom.

Hiding my disappointment, I smiled at Setsuna. "What a pleasant surprise, Setsuna-san. Please, come in," stepping aside so she could come in. When she walked into the living room, I motioned for her to sit down on the couch, while I sat down in the armchair next to the couch. I regarded Setsuna. "To what do I owe this visit to, Setsuna?"

Setsuna smiled. "Well, Usagi, I wanted to congratulate you on getting accepted into Tokyo University."

I raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, but are you that proud that you felt you had to congratulate me in person?"

"Usagi, there is no reason to speak to Setsuna-san in that tone of voice," said a voice below me.

I looked at the floor and found Luna gazing at me reproachfully. "Well, you have to admit, Luna, it is a little strange for me to get a visit from any of my Senshi lately. Where have you been, anyway?"

"I was taking a nap underneath your bed. The doorbell woke me up."

I shook me head, smiling. Luna would never change. She alone knew all my secrets. I eventually told her everything: my father, Seiya, my grades, my training, all of it. It had become too much for me, especially after a particularly bad fight between first Mamoru and me, then between my Inner Senshi and me. I came home crying after being criticized again by all of them. Luna managed to get the truth out of me, and instead of criticizing me, telling me I was imagining it all, or reminding me that I was the Moon Princess and future Queen, and as such, I had duties and a destiny to follow, she comforted me. Luna just wants me to be happy, and she was proud of me when I began bringing my grades up. She was even prouder when I applied to university. Wait till she hears the latest news.

I picked Luna up and set her on my lap, scratching her behind her ears. "Well, I think you woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

She glared at me and turned to Setsuna. "What were you congratulating Usagi for, Setsuna-san?"

"Usagi didn't tell you?"

Luna looked at me. "Tell me what, Usagi-chan?"

"I got a letter from Tokyo University today. An acceptance letter into their art program with a full scholarship that will cover all my supplies and housing," I told her, grinning broadly.

"Usagi-chan, that's wonderful!"

"Yes, that is wonderful news, but there is another reason that I am here," Setsuna said.

I sighed. I knew she could not stop by for the hell of it. "What reason is that, Setsuna?"

"I also know about Kakyuu's letter."

"What letter?" Luna asked.

"I received another letter with my Tokyo University letter. Kakyuu-hime is sending the Starlights here to live. They are to be my Senshi now. Kakyuu-hime said that they were not happy there anymore, because they missed their life and their friends here too much." I leveled my gaze to Setsuna's. "Do you see a problem with this, Setsuna-san?"

"Usagi, you cannot let them come here. They will disrupt the timeline. I am here on the other Senshi and Mamoru's behalf. It is our, Mamoru's especially, wish that you write Kakyuu-hime and tell her that the Starlights are not welcome here. You must listen to us, and remember that this is Mamoru's planet. You must respect his wishes," Setsuna said.

I stood up suddenly, Luna meowing loudly as she landed on the floor. I approached Setsuna, my eyes flashing. "How dare you? How dare any of you? I _must_ listen to you? I _must_ respect Mamoru's wishes? First, this is not just _his_ planet anymore. Earth belongs to all of us. Second, none of you have any right to tell me what to do. All of you, Mamoru-baka included, told the Starlights that they were welcome back anytime. Finally, _they_ will not disrupt the timeline any more than _you_ already have, Setsuna. You disrupted the timeline when you showed us the future. Have you even thought about the consequences of your actions? No, of course not. Now that I have seen the future, I know what to do to prevent the Dark Moon family from invading."

"What are you talking about?" Setsuna asked.

"The Dark Moon family exists because _I_ created them. It was foolish of my future self to cleanse the negativity from the people of Earth, because good cannot exist without evil. There must be a balance. If my future self had not done that, and sent away the people who refused the cleansing, then Nemesis would never have poisoned them. Perhaps the Doom Phantom will still come, but he will not have the Dark Moon family to manipulate and use, because I will not make the same mistake. So the timeline is already disrupted."

Setsuna stared at me, shocked. "But I have not sensed any sort disruption like that, Usagi."

"That's because it's not really a disruption, Setsuna-san. The timeline adjusted itself to the changes made by what we did. We went to the future, and now we can change it to make it a better place. Have you ever considered the fact that having the Starlights here might help us in the future? Their presence helped against Galaxia." My voice softened, thinking about that horrible time. "Without them, I would not have had the strength to fight, and they saved my life several times."

"Usagi, we are grateful that the Starlights helped us, but you must not let them come."

I sighed. "Setsuna, you very close to receiving an official order from me. I will not prohibit the Starlights from coming to Earth. They are on their way, and while Mamoru is the Earth Prince, I am the Supreme Princess of this Solar System. I will allow whomever I wish onto any planet in this system."

"Usagi, Haruka and Michiru have threatened to hurt the Starlights if they come here. They do not want to have anything prevent Crystal Tokyo and our long-awaited peace from coming to be," Setsuna said. "Mamoru said something similar, except he threatened to use the Golden Crystal to place a barrier around Earth to prevent them from even entering the atmosphere."

I was furious. I turned my back to Setsuna, my arms crossed in front of my chest. "Setsuna, what do the Inner Senshi and Hotaru think?"

"The Inner Senshi are prepared to back Mamoru, Haruka, and Michiru on this, and Hotaru, well…she just wants you to be happy," she replied.

I laughed. "Hotaru wants me to be happy. Now there's a concept—the desire to see your princess happy. On the other hand, the others only care about Crystal Tokyo." I faced Setsuna, my eyes hard. "May I presume that you are on the side of Haruka, Michiru, Mamoru, and the Inners?"

She said nothing, and I took that as a yes.

"I, as Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, and Usagi, have sacrificed so much for all of you." Setsuna opened her mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to silence her. "Yes, you have all sacrificed your lives for me. I know and understand this. However, it is my wish that the Starlights become a part of this kingdom, if this is what they want. Kakyuu has made them my responsibility, and I happily accept that responsibility. Moreover, if anyone lays a finger on any of them, you will be going against my orders, and the punishment will be severe."

"Usagi, you cannot do this! This will seriously disrupt the timeline!" Setsuna exclaimed.

"Excuse me? You do not have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do, Princess Setsuna of Pluto. If Mamoru does not like them on what he refers to as _his_ planet, he can kiss my ass." I glanced at Luna, who had thankfully remained quiet throughout mine and Setsuna's argument. I inclined my head. In a flash of light, Luna was no longer a cat. Instead, she was in her full human advisor form, wearing a yellow spaghetti strap dress that stopped above her knees and flared out in the back with a black underskirt. Her hair was long, black, and done up partially in odangos.

"Serenity-hime, I am ready," she said.

I nodded, and turned my gaze back to Setsuna. "Since they felt they could not tell me their wishes in person, I will pay them the same respect. Tell the Inner Senshi, Mamoru, Haruka, and Michiru that they are not to touch the Starlights. You will tell Mamoru that if he so much as puts a hint of a force field around the Earth that I will render his crystal useless. Also, inform him that I will be in contact with him later to discuss our relationship. I will contact Hotaru myself. And Setsuna?"

"Yes?"

"I am now giving you an official order." I turned to Luna. "Please make sure she gets back to wherever the others are waiting for her."

"Yes, Serenity-hime," Luna replied.

Luna took Setsuna by the arm, but as she did, Setsuna pulled away and glared angrily at me. "You are making a mistake, Serenity," Setsuna said.

"If anyone is making a mistake, Setsuna, it is you and the others."

Luna tried to take Setsuna's arm again, but before she did, Setsuna disappeared. Luna sighed. "I am sorry, Serenity."

I crossed the distance between my trusted advisor and me and enveloped her in a hug. "Luna, you have nothing to be sorry for. I was hoping that you would be able to see the Senshi and get an aura reading, but it seems as if Setsuna was one step ahead of us this time. Were you able to put the tracker and recorder on her?"

She smiled. "Of course. Shall we?"

In reply, I pivoted on my heel and walked into the dining room, where my computer was set up. Luna walked into my room and emerged a couple of minutes later wearing a pair of blue jeans and a purple sweatshirt. Noticing my raised eyebrow, she snorted in a very un-Luna like way.

"Surely you didn't think I was going to sit with you in that dress, did you?"

I shook my head and booted up my computer. After I told Luna about my expedition to the moon, Luna convinced me that we should go back together and collect some of the technology "as a precautionary measure". We were able to scavenge some of the most useful items from the rubble of my kingdom. That includes the tracker and recorder that Luna placed on Setsuna, which are undetectable by anyone (including Ami's mini-computer), as they are not visible to the naked eye, unnoticeable to the sense and touch, track whomever they are placed upon, and record sound. Some of the trackers we discovered can feed visual audio back to the main computer, but those are detectable and noticeable to the naked eye, so they are best placed somewhere in a main room of a house or a building that would be overlooked.

Luna and I sat down at my computer, and I typed in the password to gain access to the tracking and recording program. The screen was divided into two parts: the left hand side of the screen displayed a map of Tokyo, and the other side displayed a sound wave screen. The map of Tokyo had a blinking red dot on the location of the Hikawa Shrine, but the sound wave screen was not picking up anything.

Luna pointed to the red dot. "Well, it appears that she has arrived at the Shrine, but why isn't the recorder picking anything up?"

I shrugged. "Maybe she is waiting for Rei and the others on the front steps of the shrine."

Luna hesitated, and when she spoke, she sounded worried. "Maybe, but I don't know. I hope she didn't feel me put the recorder on her arm. You know that is possible, Usagi."

"Luna, I…" I paused when I heard someone talking, and looked at the computer. "Look, Luna, the computer's picking something up." I listened carefully. "I think the others have arrived."

Luna and I feel silent so that we could hear the others better. The sound waves moved up and down as Setsuna began conversing with the Senshi, and later, Mamoru.

**_Conversation at Hikawa Shrine…_**

"_Well, Setsuna, how did it go?" Rei asked._

"_Yeah, did she comply with my orders?" Mamoru inquired._

_Setsuna sighed, and by the swishing noise that the recorder picked up, she must have shaken her head. "I am sorry, but she absolutely refused to listen to reason. She said that she was the Supreme Princess of the Sol System, and that she would allow whomever she wished into the system. She also handed me some story that by showing all of you the future that I had already disrupted the timeline, and because of that, the future would change whether the Starlights came or not. Usagi also said that she could prevent the Dark Moon family from invading because since they were cast out when they refused cleansing from the crystal, she would not cleanse the people of Earth when she became Neo-Queen Serenity. She said that good could not exist without evil. Usagi told me that if we laid one finger on any of the Starlights, we would be going against her orders and the punishment would be severe. As for you, Mamoru…" Setsuna paused, and then began again. "She asked me to tell you that if you put so much as a hint of a forcefield around Earth, that she would render your crystal useless. She also said that she would be in touch with you later to discuss your relationship."_

_There were sounds of outraged shouting from the Senshi and Mamoru. _

"_Usagi cannot do that!" Mamoru exploded. "This is _my_ planet and if I do not want someone here, they will not be here! Those gender-changing freaks will not set one foot on my planet! I will not have my only way of ruling the system taken away from me. Usagi is mine, not Seiya's! She is bluffing. Usagi cannot neutralize my crystal's power; she does not have the ability to do so!"_

"_Actually," Ami's soft voice broke in, "she can. One week ago, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and I had lunch with Usagi. I took the opportunity to scan Usagi, and I found that her power levels far exceed ours combined, even without the crystal. Not only can she neutralize your Golden Crystal, Mamoru-san, she can do it without the aid of her crystal."_

_Silence dominated the Senshi as they allowed this news sink in._

"_Well," Minako said, breaking the silence, "we must find a way to neutralize her powers long enough to allow Mamoru-san to create a forcefield that will prevent the Starlights from setting foot on Earth."_

"_But how?" Makoto asked. "Setsuna said that the Starlights will be here at anytime, and there are no youma battles, so we can't use that excuse to get her to transform with us."_

"_Call her to the temple for training," Rei suggested._

"_No, I don't think that will work," Haruka cut in. "If she thinks we are going against her in any way, she will not train with us."_

_Rei snickered. "Yeah, right, like odango is that smart. She is so forgiving, we could just tell her that we want to make up, and then turn the apologizing session into a training session. Just get Luna or Artemis to tell her that the Senshi need to train, because we haven't done so in a long time."_

"_That won't work either," Setsuna said. "Luna transformed into her human form to support Usagi when I was at Usagi's apartment earlier. She will not do anything that she feels may jeopardize the Princess's wish to have the Starlights come here, and even though Artemis is Minako's guardian, I think that he will back Luna and Usagi on this."_

"_That's it!" Mamoru exclaimed._

_The Senshi, Inners and Outers alike, must have turned to look at Mamoru quickly, because the sound recorder picked up the swishing sounds of six sets of heads turning._

"_What are you so damn excited about?" Minako demanded._

"_We tell Usagi that we all discussed the Starlights coming to Earth and decided she was right. Rei will call her to invite her to the temple for a sleepover. Usagi will come over and we will be waiting for her. Before she even sees us, we will be waiting, transformed, and we can combine our powers to neutralize hers."_

"_Do you think she'll fall for it?" Makoto asked._

"_Didn't you hear me earlier, Mako-chan? Usagi-chan is an airhead and a very forgiving person. She won't suspect a thing," Rei replied._

_Ami sighed. _

"_What's wrong, Ami-chan?" Michiru inquired._

"_I am not sure that we should do this."_

"_What?!" all of the Senshi and Mamoru roared._

"_Why not?" Mamoru asked. "She is endangering everything we have all worked for by allowing the Starlights to come here. I thought you understood that, Ami."_

"_I suppose…" Ami said softly._

"_Look, Ami-chan," Minako said. "I know you miss Taiki-san sometimes, just like I miss Yaten-san. Nevertheless, no matter what we feel, we cannot allow them to jeopardize the future we have worked so hard for. We have made sacrifice after sacrifice, given up our dreams, everything, to make sure Crystal Tokyo comes to pass. We are doing this so we can have the future we saw."_

_Ami sighed again. "You're right, Minako. Let's do it."_

"_I knew you'd see reason, Ami-chan. You always do," Mamoru said._

"_Well, since this is the course of action we are going to take," Setsuna said, "when are we going to do it?"_

"_I think I'll give her a call tomorrow, otherwise it will look suspicious," Rei said. "I'll invite her over for a sleepover for tomorrow night. We'll do it then."_

"_Good. It's settled then," Haruka said. "We will all meet here tomorrow night around six, and have Usagi-chan come over around seven."_

"_Sounds good," they all chorused._

"_You are all making a mistake," a soft but firm voice said._

**Author's notes:**

HA! Cliffhanger! I'm sorry, but I could not help myself. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, and that I am not boring you to death. Can anyone guess who has the "soft but firm voice"? I will give a virtual cookie and snaps to whomever reviews and gives me the right answer in the review!! I am hoping that I will be able to get Chapter 3 out faster than I did Chapter 2, but I start school again in a week, and I have to make a two-hour commute to school (two hours there, two hours back) every week. I will do my best though, especially if I get a lot of reviews!! Comments, suggestions, praise, and CONTRUCTIVE criticism are always welcome, but please, no flames! Thank you so much for reading and do not forget to click the button below to review!! –SeleneStarr


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